Pope Francis was hospitalized on Friday to receive treatment for a bout of bronchitis that he has reportedly been dealing with for a week, the Vatican confirmed to Fox News.
Prior to his hospitalization, Pope Francis held audiences on Friday morning. CNN CEO Mark Thompson was one of the people who met with the pope, and the outlet later reported that Pope Francis was “mentally alert but struggling to speak for extended periods due to breathing difficulties.”
The 88-year-old pope is also expected to undergo tests in addition to the treatment, The Associated Press reported.
In a statement, the Vatican said Pope Francis was “admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic for necessary diagnostic tests and to continue hospital treatment for his ongoing bronchitis.”
Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica to mark the start of the Catholic Jubilee Year, at the Vatican, Dec. 24, 2024. (Alberto Pizzoli/Pool Photo via AP)
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Pope Francis has struggled with multiple health battles over the last few years, including surgeries in 2021 and 2023, as well as longstanding knee issues, which have resulted in his using a wheelchair.
In his autobiography, which was released in January, the pope downplayed his health struggles, blaming them on his age.
“The reality is, quite simply, that I am old,” the pope wrote. He also added that “the Church is governed using the head and the heart, not the legs.”
A statue of the late Pope John Paul II stands outside the Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis has gone to continue treatment for ongoing bronchitis in Rome, Italy, Feb. 14, 2025. (REUTERS/Remo Casilli)
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Pope Francis’ arm was in a sling last month after suffering his second fall over the course of a few weeks. At the time, the Vatican confirmed in a statement that after falling in his residence, the pope “suffered a contusion on his right forearm, without fractures. The arm was immobilized as a precautionary measure.”
Just six weeks before his January fall, Pope Francis had injured his face from a fall in December.
Pope Francis (C) and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo (2nd L) are greeted by well-wishers following a meeting with Indonesian authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Sept. 4, 2024, during his apostolic visit to Asia. (WILLY KURNIAWAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Pope Francis, who entered the position in 2013, has long been a critic of President Donald Trump. However, ahead of Trump’s historic return to the Oval Office, the pope extended “cordial greetings” to the president.
